Gaara goes girlfriend hunting
by BlackElement7
Summary: The Kazekage needs a girlfriend and Sakura is sent over to keep track of all of the women who are just dying for the chance. SakuGaara
1. Chapter 1

**Hi, you guys!!! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

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**Flashback**

_"This will be a long-term assignment," Tsunade stated to the pink-haired kunoichi across her desk. Because her head was bowed, Sakura failed to notice the evil smirk that accompanied the words. By the time she looked up, the Hokage's face was clear, smiling kindly and innocently (pfft…) at her apprentice._

_"H-hai, Tsunade-sensei. I understand." Gesturing towards the door, she added, "I've asked them to find a replacement for me."_

_Tsunade nodded in approval before she continued. "Are you aware that the Kazekage is currently looking for a wife?" she inquired. "I don't know how the idea got into his head…" Sakura giggled, blushing when the Fifth raised a questioning eyebrow._

_"Gomen, Tsunade-sensei. It's just that… when Temari-chan visited us last time, she mentioned trying to force Gaara-sama into getting married, or at least into getting a girlfriend. I don't think that it was his idea at all," she explained. When she'd finished, Tsunade was grinning._

_"Ah, I see," she chuckled, wiping away a tear. "Well, you'll be acting as temporary secretary for him – it really is hard work for Temari to keep track of all those women on top of her usual stuff. There are hundreds just dying to be the Kazekage's wife – or girlfriend. I believe that he also has a fanclub." Calming down, she handed Sakura a stack of papers. "You leave tomorrow. Here's a file on all of the women he's met so far." _

_"Arigato, Tsunade-sama."_

_As Sakura left, she just barely heard the older woman call, "I'm trusting you to help me win my bet with Shizune!" Sakura wondered what she was talking about, and also debated with her inner persona about whether she was drunk or not._

**End flashback**

That's why Sakura was standing in front of the Kazekage's door, chatting with his sister, Temari.

"He's moody; and if you feel a dark aura around him, get out as quickly as possible. The last secretary… Poor girl…" Both women shuddered. "Well, you should go, then!" Temari beamed, pushing the green-eyed girl into her little brother's office.

"Ahh!" Sakura landed in a heap on the ground. She got up quickly and dusted herself off, grumbling silently. _Darn, impatient Temari…_ As she usually did when annoyed, she punched the ground – or at least tried to. At the last moment, the pink-haired girl remembered where she was – most people do care if you split their floor open. So she removed the force behind the fist hurtling towards the ground and the blow just glanced off the floor.

Sakura stood up, embarrassed, and looked at the red-haired man sitting behind the desk, who was watching her impassively. She stared into his eyes for a moment – and jade met emerald – before she remembered her position. Slapping her face mentally, the kunoichi reminded herself that this was no longer the Hokage, and she would need to be respectful.

Bowing, she stood before the Kazekage. He scowled, and Sakura felt the beginnings of the killer aura Temari had warned her about. She kept her eyes respectfully on the desk instead of his face as she spoke.

"My name is Haruno Sakura and I will be taking care of all of the paperwork concerning the… erm… women who are staying for a while," she told him. "Is there anything you think that I should know?"

"Yes. They tend to be overly active and a certain group of girls seems to be attacking any females who work here. Temari can fill you in on the details later," he said monotonously.

"Ah. I'm assuming that this 'certain group of girls' is your fanclub, Kazekage-sama?" the pink-haired medic-nin inquired, her emerald eyes twinkling. "Annoying, ne?" She laughed softly as she remembered the fangirls in Konoha. "Sasuke-kun's fans tried to ambush me one night… I hope that yours aren't as bloodthirsty." She'd had to avoid knives and branches and purses alike before knocking one girl out. The rest had fled very quickly after that.

"…You may go. Temari will show you around," Gaara said. He was not really surprised to see her move closer to his desk. He'd asked for a male secretary, but no, Temari just _had_ to go and find him a young woman (and not bad-looking, either, though that was just another reason for Gaara to despise her.) If she turned out to be another lucky fangirl… He closed his eyes and braced himself for earsplitting squeals, or the thousands of questions that were shouted to him on the street, or for her to ask if she could just call him Gaara-kun, seeing as they were working in the same building and all; usually followed by a giggle-storm. He tried to tried himself that he could _not_ kill his secretary on her first day, no matter how irritating she was.

Instead, his secretary just held out her hand and asked, "May I have the papers, please? Or does Temari-chan have them?" His eyes flew open. Startled at the unexpectedly sensible question, he handed the large stack over to her. "Thank you, Kazekage-sama!" she chirped as she walked out.

Sakura brushed the hair out of her face, approaching her blond friend's desk. "Temari-chan, could you show me where my desk is? I need to go over these, and then I'll probably have to punch something," she remarked, grimacing.

The fan-wielding woman looked up from the scroll she was reading. "Oh, yeah; hang on a second, Sakura," she told the younger kunoichi. She got up and stretched, groaning. "Ahh… That feels good. Let's go!"

Sakura's desk was a middle-sized, wooden desk not unlike Temari's. When the spiky-pigtailed woman asked where she wanted it, Sakura decided to stay next to Temari. Using the tremendous strength that Tsunade has taught her to wield, she lifted the desk and carefully set it down. The chair looked exactly like the one the Hokage sometimes chucked out her window.

Both girls settled down and Sakura began reading the reports on the various women who were currently in Suna – and, she suspected, causing no end of annoyance to the poor Kage. And not all of them were young, either. She shuddered as she read some of the profiles. _She could be his grandmother!_

"So, Temari-chan; how'd you get him to put up with this?" she asked after a while.

Temari laughed evilly. "Nothing. He finally agreed that it was time to settle down and get a girlfriend." At her friend's impatient, disbelieving gaze, she relented and confessed, "Well, actually, it's true. I just had to bug him about it and I also stole his teddy bear and held it hostage. I think that might have something to do with it." She continued to laugh evilly.

Sakura sweatdropped. "That's not really agreeing, then… Is it?" Temari was too deep in her evil laughing to hear, so she sighed and went back to reading.

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**Hullo!!!!! I luuuuuuuuuuuv Sakura x Gaara!!! And I think that he looks adorable with his teddy bear in all of the pictures of him when he's young, so… I also like Temari being evil.**


	2. Chapter 2

**IIIIIIIIIIIIII'm baaaaack!!!!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, no matter how much I wish.**

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Two hours later, all of the papers had been read, and Temari agreed that it was time for a break. Sakura asked if there was a deserted area that she could demolish.

"I really need to kill something," she growled, flexing her fingers, "but I suppose that since Naruto's not here, obliterating a building will do."

Temari shrugged, used to her friend's insane power. "Sure. There's a building that's liable to collapse; nobody will miss it – it'll be gone before long anyways." Sakura grinned and they stood up.

"Should we ask Kazekage-sama if he wants to come with us?" Sakura wondered. Temari opened the door and stepped behind it as a chair came rushing out at her. Sakura, being experienced with flying objects (Tsunade had very good aim, even when blind drunk), reached out and snatched it. Setting the chair down gently, she rolled it into the room, walking calmly in after it.

"Temari-chan and I were wondering if you'd like to come with us to demolish an old building. Stress can cause a need for violence – so can boredom," she added on an afterthought. "Temari-chan and I did it last time she visited Konoha."

"How is watching a building being knocked down any fun?" the redhead demanded. Sakura shrugged.

"I don't know. Ask your sister; she's the one who always watches," she replied.

"No, thank you, then," he muttered. It would be no fun to spend an hour with is sister. He wondered what Sakura would be doing meanwhile. Sakura nodded. Before she left the room, though, she turned and smiled at him.

"Oh, and by the way, Kazekage-sama; I don't think you should throw chairs. Leave that to the old ladies like Tsunade-sama." Winking, she added, "But don't tell her I called her old." Laughing softly, she danced off with Temari.

Gaara watched as his secretary left, puzzled at her manner. Though she could be professional at times, she had a childish manner that popped up every so often. She was good at dealing with cranky (and, he suspected, drunk) people, and good-humored. He had a strange secretary indeed. With a sigh, he turned his attention to the paperwork at hand.

The first punch brought down the left side foundations. That was her left hand. Her right hand took off the top of the leaning building. Pushing chakra into her foot, she slammed it into the ground. A wall of gravel four feet high rose, knocking the remains of the structure down. Once the dust had settled, Temari gaped at a deep rift in the ground through the middle of a completely empty site. Sakura was significantly more relaxed.

"I'll need to apologize to Gaara-sama about that ditch," she commented cheerfully. Temari flapped a hand carelessly, having fully recovered from her shock.

"Nah, leave it be. I just hope that nobody complains…" she said vaguely. "He hates paperwork." Sakura winced.

After stopping by a chocolate store, the shinobi walked back to the office. They'd just sat down when the Kazekage's voice rang out.

"Temari! Get in here!" The spiky-pigtailed kunoichi rolled her eyes as she got up.

"I'm coming, I'm coming! Geez, can't you ever be polite?" she called. "How troublesome." Sakura stifled a giggle.

"You've been hanging around somebody too much," she teased. Temari blushed and whapped her on the head before leaving.

Gaara was furious. Three people had sent complaints about the wreaking of the old building his pink-haired secretary had mentioned earlier that morning. When his sister stepped into the room, he immediately launched into a tirade, yelling loudly but not at the top of his lungs.

"Temari! Three people have already complained about that old building you went to go watch being torn down! Three! Do you know how much paperwork it took to satisfy them? And what if somebody had been in there? It came down in three hits! Three! And now there's this huge rift in the ground! Anyone who was stuck in there would've had not chance to escape!" He sat down again, breathing hard. Temari only blinked. She'd expected something like this to happen.

"I'm sorry, otouto-kun, but Sakura and I checked to make sure that the building was completely empty. _No one was in there._ And it was taken down with care, otouto-kun. Each blow was carefully calculated."

_I think,_ she added to herself. _People usually don't **calculate** when relieving stress…_

Gaara still looked livid. Finally he growled, slamming a fist down on to the wood of the desk. "You may go, Temari," he said through gritted teeth. He sat with his hands supporting his head, deep in thought.

"Wow. Kazekage-sama must be really mad." Sakura shivered as she noticed the dark silence coming from the room separated from theirs by a door. "I'll go apologize." Temari didn't look up from her reading.

"Try to come out alive, Sakura," she advised kindly. Sakura laughed and stepped into the room.

From the Kazekage's expression, he wanted to kill something – it reminded her of the way he'd looked at the Chunnin exams. The young woman steeled herself and approached the enraged redhead. When he looked up and glared at her, she bowed her head.

"I humbly apologize, Kazekage-sama," she murmured. Before he could speak, she was back at her desk with a sheepish expression on her face.

He wondered why she had apologized. For some strange reason, he had calmed down sufficiently enough to speak normally.

"Temari!" he called to his sister, who heaved herself up with a sigh and plodded into his office. "Send in whoever was in charge of tearing down the building." The blond shinobi smirked.

"Oi, she apologized already, didn't she?" she asked, crossing her arms. "Give her a break." She gestured at the pink-haired secretary, sitting demurely at her desk and reading.

Gaara blinked, taken aback. "_She_ knocked that old place down in three shots?" he demanded. Temari scowled.

"You know that Tsunade – the Hokage herself – trained Sakura. Don't underestimate her," she warned. _She even inherited the old lady's temper when dealing with Naruto… ha ha!_ She thought to herself.

"Why would she knock down a building and create that huge ditch everyone's complaining about?" he wondered aloud. His sister shrugged.

"Stress relief; you have no idea how boring it is to sit there for hours, reading reports on close to a hundred women from all over Suna – and some that aren't even from here," she replied nonchalantly.

Temari watched with amusement as her normally stoic little brother colored just the tiniest bit.

"Gaara-sama," Sakura called from her post in the next room. "You're scheduled to meet Hirashi Sonoki-san at five for dinner. Please be ready in five minutes."

Gaara sighed heavily. "Let's not and say I did," he pleaded plaintively, sounding like a child. Perhaps he'd expected her to stammer a feeble protest; perhaps he'd expected her to let him get away with it. Whatever he'd been expecting, however, it was not what happened next.

Huffing, Sakura stood up slowly and stalked over to the Kazekage's desk. Temari grinned behind her hand so that only Gaara could see it. Placing her hands on either side of the stack of papers he had been reading, Sakura stared him in the eye. Something about her expression made Gaara want to shrink away, something he'd never felt the urge to do before. When she spoke, it was quite and deadly.

"You will go and have dinner with Hirashi-san. You will be polite, and you will act like a human being, not an ice cube. _Do you understand, Kazekage-sama?_" The last words were laced with an almost nonexistent threat, but it was heard nonetheless. Gaara actually shivered, hesitating only a split second before gulping and nodding.

He had an urge to say, "H-hai, Sakura-sama," meekly, but refrained from doing so when his secretary herself bowed respectfully and added, "Arigato, Kazekage-sama." Turning to Temari, she sighed. "Perhaps you should go with him; just to make sure that he behaves," she muttered. The blond grinned openly now, shaking her head.

"Why don't you go?" she asked teasingly. Sakura pushed the hair out of her face, grimacing.

"I can't. I'm female; I'm unrelated; and I've got to plan tomorrow's schedule for Gaara-sama." She glared at said redhead when he tried to protest. "I'm sure that no rabid fangirls will attack him with one of Suna's most powerful kunoichi escorting him." Temari laughed, eyes dancing.

"Well, _I'm_ sure that not rabid fangirls in their right minds would even approach the Kazekage with an 'unrelated female,' as you put it," she replied. Sakura snorted.

"But most of them _aren't_ in their right minds. Besides, you don't want to spawn rumors, now do you? That would ruin his chances of getting a girlfriend, and I'd be stuck here forever! Plus, he'd never get his teddy bear back," she muttered, staring pointedly as Temari went red and began mumbling.

"Right you are, Sakura. I don't know what I was thinking…" She laughed weakly.

"That's the problem – you weren't thinking at all. Well, Kazekage-sama; hurry, please! Don't keep the young lady waiting!" Sakura turned briskly to him as he stood, pulling him up out from behind his desk.

"I don't want to," he said firmly; then recoiled as she glared at him. Sakura took a deep breath and closed her eyes briefly. He was just like child, that's what he was. When her eyes opened, he was smirking, certain that he had won the argument. Ha. As if. The smirk dropped as the pink-haired medic-nin opened her mouth. Gaara shrank back, shivering.

"I don't care what you want to do – now go!" she snapped, pushing him to the open door. "Have fun!" Just before the door closed completely, Temari collapsed onto the floor, dying of laughter.

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**Hi!! I'm really sorry if Gaara is OC in this story, but… I like him this way. Sumimasen and gomenasai if you don't!!!!! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Hullo, guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm back. Hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

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Gaara scowled. As he walked, he pondered over the mystery that was his secretary. Something about her scared him. It wasn't the way people were scared of him; the way they seemed to disappear when he was nearby – no, it made him want to obey her every word. He smirked to himself as he wondered if, perhaps, that was what it felt like to have a mother: someone to obey and someone to care for him unconditionally – even if he didn't always obey. His thoughts were rudely interrupted, however, when a loud squeal split the air. He groaned as he caught sight of fourteen or fifteen teenage girls. They rushed towards him with their arms open – to be stopped by a wall of shimmering rubble.

Sakura stood, with her arms crossed, at the end of the line of now settling stones and sand. It seemed that she had slammed her foot into the ground – much like she'd done earlier. The stern expression on her face changed to a look of disgust as she coolly regarded the gaping fangirls.

"Are you Kazekage-sama's fanclub?" she asked emotionlessly. "I'm sure that you're very eager to mob him –" Gaara shivered "– but he's got a date to go to. No, not with me," she added sharply, catching the glares that were sent her way. "Someone else. So scram! before I set Temari-san on you." The girls fled. Once they were out of sight, the pink-haired kunoichi smirked and stomped her foot lightly, finger tapping on her arm. It was a controlled stomp; there was not even a cloud of dust as the sandal hit the sand.

Gaara stared at her. "H-hai, Sakura-sama?" The last part slipped out, though luckily it was in a very small voice. Sakura cocked her head curiously, forehead wrinkling as she concentrated. "What's wrong?" His voice had regained its normal volume and deepness.

Sakura stood; she heard the Kazekage ask her something and snapped out of her trance. "Yeah. Sorry… thought I heard… it's nothing." _I could've sworn I heard him say "Sakura-sama," but he's the Kazekage, for Kami's sake! Why would he call me Sakura-**sama**? Nah, it couldn't have been._ "Well, Kazekage-sama! Don't keep Hirashi-san waiting! Hurry!" she chided, pushing him forward. When she found that he wouldn't move, she grabbed his hand and tugged, pulling him along like a stubborn child.

It was a good thing, Gaara thought to himself as his cheeks flamed (Sakura didn't notice), that everyone was afraid of him. If they saw the Kazekage himself being dragged down the street by a pink-haired girl, they'd never let him live it down! He sighed and bowed his head in defeat.

Finally, they arrived at the restaurant. The instant Sakura let go of his hand, he tried to disappear, but before he knew it, Sakura had hit a paralyzing point on his neck. He couldn't move. When he finally looked at her, she raised an eyebrow and shook her head slightly, sighing. She pressed the release points, allowing him to regain control of his body.

"Looks like I'll have to stay and make sure you behave," she muttered under her breath. "Unless you want me to send Temari-chan," she added as Gaara opened his mouth to argue.

"I-it's fine. You don't have to send her," he said hastily. "Let's go." He pushed open the door and stepped in. After taking one look around, he halted in horror. Sakura hadn't noticed that he'd stopped and bumped into him.

"Sumimasen, Kazekage-sama!" she exclaimed quickly. Noticing his expression, she frowned. "What is it now?" Following his gaze, her eyes settled upon a blond young woman who was sitting alone at a table. Red hair (obviously dyed), green contacts, "love" tattooed on her forehead (though messily), and even a little Gaara plushie on her purse – yep, they were trying to set him up with another fangirl. The kunoichi sighed heavily. "I'm sorry, Gaara-sama, but she comes from a good family and Temari-chan thought she'd be a good match for you." Her mouth quirked into a wry smile. "Or perhaps to torture you."

Hirashi Sonoki had caught sight of Gaara and was waving furiously at him. His "escort" smiled brightly and pulled him over. Sonoki's smile faded when she noticed the emrald-eyed kunoichi.

"Who's that?" she asked loudly. Sakura brushed it aside, shrugging. She pulled up a chair and sat.

"I'm his secretary – Temari-san sent me to make sure that Kazekage-sama doesn't run away. So just ignore me," she said, producing a folder of papers and a pen as if to prove her point. Sonoki relaxed and nodded, turning to face Gaara. She began talking in a high-pitched voice that hurt everybody else's ears. Sakura began writing.

Gaara sent some of his sand to spy on his secretary's notes. He shuddered as he saw the schedule. She was going to be busy, that was for sure. He saw her smirk out of the corner of his eye and her fingers formed an unfamiliar seal. When her pen touched the paper, it no longer wrote in ink, but in glimmering green chakra. **(A/N: It is green, right?)**

Don't worry. I've got some headache reliever up at the office, he read in her neat handwriting. Now pay attention to your date. When he looked at Sakura's face, she inclined her head the tiniest bit towards the still-talking girl.

Gaara scowled and obeyed. Finally the food came, and the red-haired young man wondered how it was that Sonoki could eat and talk at the same time. She would make Hatake Kakashi envious – he couldn't see the food in her mouth even as it was wide open! Gaara had ordered a small dish – the smallest he could find on the menu. Glancing at Sakura, he noticed that she hadn't even looked up when the food arrived. A faint frown was beginning to form on her face.

Sakura closed her eyes and counted to ten before opening them again. Sonoki's voice had created a ringing sort of effect in her ears.

"Ichi. Ni. San. Shi. Go – " Halfway there, she was interrupted by a pause in the steady flow of the other girl's speech. Opening her eyes at the highly unexpected stop, she noticed that Sonoki was looking at her. Gaara was looking at her as well. It became apparent that she had been asked a question.

"I'm sorry; could you say that again?" Sakura asked. The Gaara-fanatic blinked and tossed her "red" hair over her shoulder.

"I said, what are you doing?" she repeated slowly. Sakura grimaced at the papers in front of her for a split second; then her faces smoothed over as Sonoki leaned over to try to see them.

"Oh, this. I'm organizing Kazekage-sama's busy schedule," she answered evenly, shifting the whole folder so that all the writing was hidden. Gaara scowled. Sonoki pouted, her features turning from pleasant to on the border between beauty and ugliness.

"But why are you making him meet other women?" she whined, correctly guessing the contents of Gaara's schedule. "What if he wants to stay with me all the time?" she reached across the table and tried to grab his hand and hang onto it, but he managed to save his arm in time. The emerald-eyed girl smiled vaguely and went back to her work, saying nothing.

Fifteen minutes later, Sonoki had finished, so Gaara paid and they left. Luckily, Sonoki's "mansion" (she called it) was in the opposite direction of the office, so they parted at the door of the restaurant.

As Sakura and Gaara walked, he noticed that the folder had disappeared, and that her pretty face was no longer a mask of stone – yet, being a ninja, she didn't openly display all of her emotions.

"You seem more relaxed," he stated flatly. It was an observation, not a question, but Sakura answered anyway, shrugging.

"As opposed to trying to stay sane around her? Yeah, I suppose I am." All of a sudden, her eyes closed and she dropped to the ground. The sand formed a cushion beneath her body before she hit the ground and jostled her back to consciousness. The medic-nin raised a palm to her forehead, blinking. Seeing where she was, she quickly stood and thanked Gaara, who only frowned at her.

"When was the last time you ate?" he asked abruptly. Sakura blinked and thought for a moment.

"So you haven't eaten in days" he demanded. "Why didn't you stop for food overnight?"

Sakura laughed faintly. "Of course not, Kazekage-sama! I started out early this morning so that I could be here this afternoon – before dawn. Oh, yeah. I also had a piece of chocolate when Temari-chan and I went out this afternoon. Must be why I was so happy while we walked back." She shrugged sadly. "But now it's worn off." After a minute of silence, though, her face lit up. "I packed a bar of chocolate just in case! I wonder if I should eat some…?"

"You walked from Konoha to Suna in half a day… when it would have taken a normal ninja two days…?" Gaara said slowly. The pink-haired girl nodded, shrugging.

"Tsunade-shishou told me that your old secretary was… gone – " at this, a satisfied smirk settled on Gaara's lips " – so she said I needed to be fast before you killed Temari-chan. To make sure, she locked me in a room with Lee-san and Gai-sensei all night." She shuddered, remembering the strange occurrences that had happened. "I couldn't go fast enough to suit myself. I feel so sorry for Neji and Tenten. To be stuck with those two…" She shook her head in horror. **(A/N: They cried all night. And snored. And danced with little pink and green bunnies. Bunnies! confetti falls Um, okay then. Back to the story!)**

By now, they had reached the door to the office. Sakura reached for the door, but Gaara used his sand and took them both straight to his room, nearly scaring a cleaning maid to death in the process. She screamed shrilly before noticing who it was.

At the high-pitched sound, Sakura's headache doubled in strength and she passed out, falling backwards into Gaara. He caught her just as Temari, who had also heard the scream and had come in to investigate, walked in. As the fan-wielding kunoichi stared, the maid edged out of the room.

Temair grinned, but as she opened her mouth to speak, Sakura groaned, stirring slightly. Gaara scowled at the doorway through which the maid had left.

"She hasn't eaten a good meal since last night," he said, looking at his older sister. "Hirashi gave her a headache with her whining, and _that_ woman – " he glared at the door " – just made it worse, I suppose. Where is she staying?"

One of the junior secretaries rushed into the room, breathing heavily. "Excuse me, Kazekage-sama, Temari-san," he huffed, bending over. "We just received a message… Hisha-san says they need you there."

Temari held out her arms, sighing. "I'll take her back, otouto-kun. I wonder if we have anything in the refrigerator for her to eat when she wakes up… Jan e!" With a wave, she and the unconscious Sakura were off.

Gaara turned to the young man next to him. "Let's go," he growled.

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**We're on a trip right now, but I'm typing in the car. So, ma ta ne! See ya soon!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hullo!!!!!! I'm back, and I'm sorry for the delay. I'm lazy. Hey, that's one of the Seven Deadly Sins! Sloth!**

**Anyways, here's the disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

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Sakura groaned and turned over. Upon feeling a soft, cool pillow, she sat up quickly. She was in an off-white room, in a large bed. Swinging her long legs over the edge, she realized that somebody had dressed her in a loose robe, decorated beautifully with embroidered green fans. Against the white of the cloth, they stood out and matched her eyes beautifully. She only hoped that the somebody who had dressed her was female.

Standing, Sakura straightened the robe and looked around the room. Her bags, which she'd dropped near her desk at the office, sat in a corner near the door. She dug through them and gave her hair a quick brush; the now fully-awake kunoichi padded out of the room after reading the note on top of her bag:

_Sakura!_

_Nice to know you're awake – well, you are if you're reading and fully_

_comprehending this. Come down to the living room when you're ready._

_In case you were wondering, yes, I was the one who dressed you up._

_Temari_

Down the stairs at the end of the hallway there was a room with a couch and two armchairs. This, Sakura assumed, was the living room. The mistress of the house lay asleep on the red couch. As Sakura walked past, she noticed a note on the blond woman's stomach. Picking it up, she read it:

_Sakura!_

_If I'm asleep by the time that you find this (and I probably will), look _

_around the kitchen for something to eat. Help yourself to anything you_

_like. Oh, yeah. Feel free to take out extra. I'll probably be hungry when _

_I wake up. Gaara, too, when he comes back._

_Temari_

Grinning, the emerald-eyed kunoichi set the paper down on the table and slipped into the kitchen. Surveying the contents of the refrigerator and the various-sized but equally almost-empty cabinets, she decided with satisfaction that there was enough to make curry. Checking the meat to make sure it was fresh, she pulled out the ingredients and set to work, trying to finish before Temari awoke. The older woman had tried to cook for them and their friends once – they had all passed out from the pungent odor coming from the blackened lumps. It was, they'd reflected later on, a bit like chemistry.

The instant Gaara stepped through the door to their house, an unexpected smell reached his nose. At first he thought (with panic, and Sabaku no Gaara _never_ panics) that Temari had tried to cook again; but as he drew closer to the kitchen, he noticed that it was a good smell.

"Huh…" Sakura's voice rang out from the brightly lit room. "It beats me how you can manage to burn water for the rice in two minutes, Temari-chan! Now, for everybody's sake, and for the sake of the food, I'm banning you from the stove for right now. The curry's almost ready, so could you get the bowls? You can dish out the rice, but – DO TRY TO GET SOME IN THE BOWL, TEMARI-CHAN! Why don't you just set the table, then… Yes, there's no way you can hurt the food like that."

Temari had finished setting the table before she looked up and noticed Gaara. But when she did, everybody in the house knew it. Her vaguely depressed face lit up instantly.

"Otouto-kun! Oi, Sakura! Gaara's back!" Sakura plugged her fingers in her ears, knowing what her friend was going to do. Temari's next words shook the house. "KANKURO GET YOUR LAZY BUTT DOWN HERE BEFORE I COME UP THERE AND DO IT FOR YOU!" she screamed and the top of her lungs.

Gaara's other sibling laughed loudly. "No, thanks!" he called down cheerfully. "Come up and get me, then!"

Temari looked pleadingly at Sakura, who sighed and spoke evenly. Though she was speaking no louder than usual, her voice passed through the whole house. "Kankuro-san, come downstairs, please. The curry is getting cold."

There was a thundering down the stairs, and the last sand sibling stood before them, his puppet on his back. "Hai! Sakura-sama!" He saluted, army-style. Temari whacked him upside the head. When he glared reproachfully at her, she pointed at Sakura.

"Arigato, Temari-chan. As I was saying, the food is ready, so help yourselves," Sakura told them. After they had all claimed their portions of curry and rice, they sat around the wooden table; Temari and Sakura shared the couch and Gaara and Kankuro sat in the armchairs. The two older sand siblings complimented the food, and Sakura nodded her thanks. Temari looked expectantly at Gaara, who kept his eyes on his plate. To get his attention, the spiky-pigtailed woman whapped him on the head with her giant fan, which had been sitting conveniently at her side. When he glared at her, she glanced pointedly from him to Sakura, who was eating quietly. His scowl dropped and his gaze softened.

The young Kazekage mumbled a "The food's good," and the pink-haired kunoichi beamed at him.

"Arigato, Kazekage-sama!" Turning to Temari, she cocked her head in puzzlement. "Hey, Temari-chan, why did you bring my bags? I could've gone back to get them." Temari stretched lazily, got up, produced a worn letter from a cabinet nearby, and threw it to her emerald-eyed friend, who deftly caught it and opened it. Her quick eyes scanned the contents and she wrinkled her nose.

"You can have the room that your stuff's in," Temari told her. Sakura gathered all of the dishes and took them in to wash, sighting happily.

"Thanks, Temari-chan!" Once the plates were soaking in the warm, soapy water, she rinsed her hands and bounced off, calling over her shoulder, "I'll go unpack, then!"

Gaara stared after her, confused. "Unpack…?" Temari laughed.

"Tsunade-sama wants her to stay here," she explained. Walking over to the sink, she reached into the water and finished washing the dishes. She threw a towel to Gaara and handed him a dripping plate. He began drying. In no time (with is sand helping, of course), the dishes were done. Kankuro had gone up to his room before he could be forced to help.

It was only when Sakura came back down again that Gaara noticed what she was wearing. He had seen Temari wearing it once or twice, but it brought out Sakura's eyes in a way it had never done for his sister. She had tied a red bow around her waist to keep the robe closed, and it only added more color to the pretty image she created. **(A/N: He really is OOC now!)**

"Oh, yeah, Sakura!" Temari exclaimed. "I had a few other outfits I thought you might like! C'mon, let's go try one on you!"

Sakura had lived around Yamanaka Ino long enough to know that it was useless to try and refuse such an order. She followed meekly into Temari's room. Besides, she did like dressing up occasionally. When Temari pulled out the first outfit with a flourish, she gasped and clapped in delight.

Gaara unbuckled his gourd and laid it down carefully next to his chair, leaning back. He wondered what his sister would try to put on Sakura. The things she wore would not look good at all on the more delicate-looking medic-nin. When Sakura was dragged out for him to see, though, all of his doubts in his sister's choice of clothing dissolved.

An elegant red kimono enfolded her, neatly yet modestly showing off the gently curved shape of her body, and gold thread became embroidered butterflies. Her hair had been arranged into a bun at the back of her head, the ends spiking out to frame it. Temari saw him staring and grinned, winking.

"Like what you see, little brother?" she inquired so that only he could hear. He glared at her, but she didn't relent. "Maybe I should be a fashion designer! Come, Sakura! Let's go try on one more!"

Sakura sighed and let herself be led back into the room, but secretly (and she was sure Temari knew this) she was enjoying being dressed up. The outfits Ino chose for her were outrageous – at least Temari knew when to draw the line. And the fan-wielding kunoichi tended to drift towards the more traditional – more formal and more modest – clothing for her.

The next outfit Temari picked out for her dress-up doll consisted of a simply white dress (like Greek or Roman style!) that was pinned at the shoulders and at various points on her arms. The shimmering pearly material pooled around her feet and the neckline settled just under her collarbones. Temari smiled happily and tied a sky-blue sash loosely around Sakura's slim waist. She took a curler and set to creating gentle waves in her friend's shoulder-length hair. Gazing at the younger kunoichi, she sighed and pushed her outside. Sakura thought that she heard something suspiciously like "How nice it is to be young…" but dismissed it as her imagination.

As Sakura stepped out of Temari's room slowly, the wind-user opened her fan and kept up a breeze from behind. Gaara looked up – and froze. With her hair fanning out around her flushed face and the creamy material of the dress floating softly near her bare feet, she looked like a goddess from a myth.

"What are you doing, Temari-chan?" she exclaimed. "I have to admit that it does feel good, though. It's warm in here; can we go outside?" Upstairs, Kankuro yelled and rushed down the stairs.

"Sure, Sakura! Though it's hot in the daytime, it gets cooler at night. Let's go!" Temari cheered, grabbing Sakura's hand. The medic-nin stumbled on the hem of her dress. "Hurry, hurry! Or Kankuro will beat us!" Gaara sighed and stood up, buckling on his gourd.

"Temari-chan, I can't run in this dress," Sakura reminded her friend, but Temari was already gone. Sakura squeaked in surprise as Gaara swept her up in his strong arms and carried her outside. "Eep!" The Kazekage looked down at her.

"Shh. If Temari sees me doing this, she'll never let me forget it – or you, either," he told her. She whimpered and closed her mouth. Temari would also tell Ino, who would tell everyone in Konoha, who would never let her forget it for the rest of her life.

Temari was already outside. Gaara set Sakura down, steadied her, and asked, "Can you make it from here?" She nodded and, picking up the silky cloth around her legs, ran to her friend, who was yelling triumphantly at a scowling Kankuro.

"Ha! I beat you! Oh, hi, Sakura! See, you ran pretty fast in that dress!" the older kunoichi beamed. Sakura turned red and dropped the edges of her dress, clasping her hands behind her back.

Kankuro looked around his sister and gaped. "What have you done to Sakura-sama?" Temari shrugged.

"We were playing dress-up, weren't we, Sakura?" The now normally-colored girl nodded in confirmation. The puppeteer whistled in admiration.

There were three folding chairs, and Temari and Kankuro occupied two of them. Sakura and Gaara stood next to the empty one. Temari stood and gestured for Sakura to take her chair. The medic-nin smiled but shook her head.

"It's your chair, Temari-chan; you sit in it, she insisted. Both women stood with their arms crossed, staring at each other until finally, with a sigh, Temari surrendered and sat down.

Suddenly, Sakura found herself being pushed down onto the remaining chair. Looking down, she saw that it was sand that was moving her. When she struggled to remain standing, Gaara only smirked and increased the pressure. She tried to punch through the sand, but it only trapped her fist. Once she was in the chair, the sand formed a kind of cocoon around her in a painfully familiar gesture. Her eyes widened in fear. She'd been pinned to a tree like this once, and she'd almost died.

"Kazekage-sama…" she choked out through the tightening in her throat. "K-Kazekage-sama!" Temari stood up, glaring daggers at her younger brother.

"Gaara! You're scaring her!" she shouted. Startled, Gaara glanced at Sakura's face, which was pale and drawn. Her lips were trembling, and her breathing was coming in short, sharp, irregular breaths. He opened his hand, and the sand fell away to reveal Sakura's clenched fists.

"Gomen… gomenasai, Haruno-san," he muttered, looking at her face. she forced a small smile, not quite meeting his eyes.

"It's okay, Kazekage-sama," she replied shakily, trying to rise. Standing behind her, Gaara used his hands to push her firmly down onto the seat and held her there.

"Sit," he commanded gently. When she obeyed without an argument, he let go of her and sat on the stood of sand he had created for himself. Presently, the exhausted girl fell asleep in the cool evening breeze as they watched the sun set. Before her eyes closed, however, she spoke quietly.

"May I sleep here tonight?" she asked nobody in particular. Temari nodded silently, her face turned to the horizon. They sat there in silence – not an awkward one, but a comfortable, relaxed silence.

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**I've finally managed to convince myself to type this up, so tell me what you think! ' I'm lazy, I know, and I apologize in advance. Once I start, though, I type pretty fast. So, see you next chapter!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hullo! Okay, so this is the last chapter! I know it's a bit long, but I happen to like long chapters! (I just can't write them! ') Tee hee! Hope you like!**

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Soon Kankuro got up and stretched, yawning.

"The sun's going down – I'm going to bed. 'Night, minna-san." He padded sleepily up the stairs to his room.

A few minutes later, Temari stood, only half awake. "G'night, Sakura," she mumbled. "You coming up, Gaara?"

He shook his head. "I'd like to stay out here for a little longer," he murmured, looking at his hands. His sister snorted with her eyes closed.

"Don't wake us up tomorrow before noon," she grumbled. "It's Friday night." With that, she disappeared into the house, leaving Gaara with a sleeping Sakura.

Lying on the chair with her dress bellowing out in the night wind, and her long hair being gently caressed by the air current, and her bright eyes closed, and her face peacefully at rest, and her hands laid at her side, the image Sakura created was that of a sleeping Greek or Roman goddess. (I know, that was a _really_ long run-on sentence. ) Suppressing a sudden urge to reach out and touch her, the Kazekage sat beside her and gazed at her face. Free from the stress of the day, the kunoichi's face was softer, somehow, and less harsh.

For an hour – one quiet, peaceful hour – Gaara sat and stared at Sakura. Finally, the need the touch her overwhelmed him, and he couldn't help it. His hand moved of its own accord to brush past her closed eyes and move one silky strand of hair, tucking it gently behind her ear. He noticed that her skin was smooth and unmarred by scars of the life she lived. She stirred slightly at his touch, but as he withdrew his hand, relaxed with a sigh. The red-haired young man took the seat across from hers and settled himself into a comfortable position. He closed his eyes and, though he didn't fall asleep, withdrew to a dark corner of his mind.

Sakura woke the next morning when the first rays of sunlight shone on her face. Yawning, she swung her legs over the edge of the chair onto the ground and stood, straightening the thin material of her dress. The sash around her waist had come loosed wile she slept, so she retied it. Drawing her fingers through the air, she quickly worked out the knots.

Looking over to the other chairs, she was surprised to see Gaara sitting across from her with his black-rimmed eyes closed. Though he still looked like the Kazekage, this was a side of him she'd never seen before. With his face relaxed and not scowling or frowning, he was actually quite good-looking. (She just noticed this!) Seeing him like this, Sakura finally understood why his fangirls were willing to follow him anywhere.

Then she remembered how she'd overheard two girls talking. One had said that he looked like a panda; now, gazing at his face, she could see a slight resemblance. Suddenly and image of a panda controlling sand appeared in her mind and she giggled.

"What are you giggling about?" he demanded without opening his eyes. Sakura stepped back on instinct, but came forward again as she answered, her face red from the laughter she was still holding in.

"Nothing, Kazekage-sama," she replied, wiping her eyes. "Did I wake you…"

"I don't sleep," he answered curtly. Any other girl that he knew (with an exception of Temari, of course – she was his sister) would have asked him why not, but Sakura immediately bowed and apologized.

"Eh! Gomenasai, Kazekage-sama!" she exclaimed.

"Forget about it," he replied gruffly. "Why are you up so early?" Gesturing to the inside of the house, he added, "They won't be up until noon, unless you call them."

Sakura chuckled. "Let them sleep," she said cheerfully. "But meanwhile, are you hungry? I'm sure Temari-chan wouldn't mind if I use her kitchen."

"Hn. It's your kitchen now – you're the only one who can cook," he replied. His stomach growled, answering her question for him. She laughed and turned.

"What would you like, Kazekage-sama?"

Gaara grunted, frowning. "I'm not the Kazekage in this house," he muttered. "The Kazekage does the paperwork." Again, Sakura laughed, and Gaara decided that he liked that sound.

"Okay, then, _Gaara_-sama," she answered, smiling cheekily, ""you still haven't answered y question."

The not-Kazekage growled in frustration. "I don't care," he told her. "Anything. And don't call me Gaara-sama!"

Sakura grinned. "So what should I call you? Gaara-chan?" Laughing, she danced off to her room to change. It would be a pity to ruin the beautiful dress by cooking with it on.

After donning a black and red outfit, she hurried down to the kitchen and began looking through the refrigerator. She decided to make soup, and, after debating with herself, also threw in the leftover curry from last night. She'd found some chicken and beef, managed to save the last of the veggies, and had added a cup full of rice. When everything was cooked, she turned off the stove, placed a lid on the pot, and went to find Gaara.

"Oi, Gaara-sama! Breakfast is ready!" she called. He stomped in, looking at her unhappily.

"I told you to stop calling me that!" he said, frowning. Sakura huffed impatiently.

"Fine then! Gaara-san, breakfast is ready," she repeated. Slapping a hand to his forehead, he groaned loudly.

"No Gaara-san, either," he told her sternly. She looked at him in exasperation, sighing.

"So what do I call you?" she demanded.

"Gaara is fine," he replied, quietly, not wanting to be overheard. Fangirls were everywhere; even the walls had ears. Sakura put a finger to her lips and thought for a moment. A semi-evil grin grew on her face.

"Can I call you Gaara-chan, then?" she asked innocently. His eyes narrowed a tiny bit, but he nodded, sighting regretfully.

"Arigato, Ka – Gaara… chan. Let's go eat!" Grabbing his hand, she dragged him to the kitchen and, with her abnormal strength, pushed him down into a chair. As she dished out a bowl of soup (which was basically congee – congee… yum!), he rubbed his shoulders and winced.

"You certainly like exploiting your power," he grumbled. She snorted, setting the bowl down in front of him.

"What good is it if I don't use it?" she wanted to know. "At least _I_ don't chuck chairs out the window. Or at people," she added, glancing pointedly at him. He promptly ignored her, giving his full and undivided attention to his soup.

Kankuro stumbled into the kitchen, sniffing the air hopefully. "Ohayo, Sakura-sama," he mumbled. "Is there enough to go around?"

Sakura laughed. "Of course, Kankuro-san. You should just call me Sakura, you know," she added.

"But Sakura-sama is Sakura-sama," the puppeteer insisted. Rubbing his head, he added, "Ever since you left a dent in my skull."

Temari's voice rang out. "You had it coming, Kankuro. Nobody annoys Sakura and gets away with it. That smells good, Sakura. Can I have some?"

"Of course, Temari-chan!" the medic-nin exclaimed. "Kankuro-san, can you get two more chairs, please?"  
Once they were all seated, Sakura turned to Temari. "Oh, yeah! That pretty dress you lent me yesterday is in my room; remind me to put it in yours after breakfast."

The older woman beamed. "I'm glad you like it," she chirped happily. "You can have it – it doesn't fit me, anyways."

Sakura gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "A-are you sure, Temari-chan?" she asked weakly. "I – I don't know how to thank you – "

Temari waved it off casually, saying, "Don't bother. Just do me one favor, 'kay?" She winked. "Wear it. Otouto-kun seems to like it." Sakura blushed prettily, looking at Gaara, who had suddenly decided that his empty bowl was more fascinating than the conversation. Kankuro maintained a polite silence, but Sakura could tell he was smirking behind his hand.

"Are you finished?" she asked, standing abruptly. Gathering Temari's, Kankuro's, and he bowls, she glanced uncertainly at Gaara, ho was glaring at his silverware. "Ano… Kaze – Gaara… chan…?" Without looking up, he handed her his dishes, then got up and disappeared in a swirl of sand so that nobody would see the pink tinge on his cheeks.

" 'Gaara-chan?' What's up with that?" Temari asked, grinning at the pink-haired kunoichi who was washing the dishes with a strange expression

"I'm not allowed to call him Gaara-sama, Kazekage-sama, or Gaara-san, so what else can I call him?" She shrugged. "Just Gaara is too informal, Gaara-kun reminds me too much of Sasuke-kun, and I think that Gaara-chan sounds cute."

Temari sweatdropped but said nothing. After a moment of silence (during which Kankuro departed), she grabbed Sakura's hand and dragged her upstairs.

"I've got one more outfit to show you! We'll need to get that dress, though."

Gaara was lying on his back with his gourd by his side when Sakura's voice cut through his thoughts – which, for some reason, had been full of petals and leaves.

"Ano… it's been three weeks since you began meeting these women, and Temari-chan and I think that you should chose one to stick with for now…" she murmured, fidgeting with her fingers.

Gaara sat up to glare at her – his eyes widened, and his expression softened. Temari was a genius, he thought to himself. She'd lengthened the bottom of the dress even more, so that the slightest wind picked it up and blew it around Sakura, but revealed nothing. Her hair was loose and wild, but not messy, and her arms were adorned by a single, silver armband.

He was pulled back from his staring when she held something out to him – it was a ball of smooth, round crystal, handing from a simple chain of white gold. It looked perfect lying in her pale hand.

"It's to show that you would like the woman you chose to be your… girlfriend… without causing an embarrassing scene," she explained, her eyes sparkling with tears. "Whoever gets that will be very lucky… Someone gave me one once…" Someone gave me one once…" His heart clenched.

"And? What happened?" He held out his hand, tanned by the sun and dark against hers.

"…He put it one me and then knocked me out." She dropped the necklace into his hand and turned away, sighing. She sat down next to him with her chin resting on her knees. "Any unmarried woman – and perhaps a few married ones as well – in this village will gladly accept that, Gaara-san," she commented softly. "Just choose one."

"Any woman?" he asked suddenly. She nodded and smiled, though he didn't see it. She closed her eyes, feeling the soft sand beneath her body, and the breeze brush past her. She was shocked when something cool touched her neck. Jerking back, she realized that it was the necklace.

"Wh-what are you – " Her voice was cut off as he pulled her to his side, taking her hand in his.

"You are in the village, are you not?" he asked. "Do you want to go have lunch with me?" She smiled through her tears and entwined her fingers with his, nodding.

"H-hai, Gaara…kun." He smiled gently at her and pulled her closer.

Epilogue

Temari grinned from her view in the house, lowering her binoculars. "For once, Tsunade-sama won a bet! Shizune-san will have a heart attack!" She skipped off to tell the Hokage.

"Oi, Shizune! Temari just told me that Gaara gave Sakura the necklace!" the blond shinobi called to her secretary. "I win! Get out the sake!"

Shizune rubbed her head and decided that today was not her lucky day, all the while wishing the new couple happiness (I know, I know. It sounds like they eloped or something… Oh well.)

Somewhere far off in a restaurant in Suna, Sakura sneezed.

**The End**

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**I really hope you liked it!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you so much for reading, and I'll see you later!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**BlackElement7**


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